Consortium: TECNUN University, CIEM (Centre for Integrated Emergency Management) center of the University of Agder (UiA), University of Strathclyde, University of Linköping, ICLEI European Secretariat, DIN German Institute of Standardization, the City of Kristiansand, the City of Donostia (San Sebastian), the City of Glasgow, the City of Bristol, the City of Vejle, the City of Rome, and the City of Riga.

Project period: 1.6.215-1.6.2018

Budget: 4,6 million €

The 21.century has been termed «the Century of disaster». Worldwide there were twice as many disasters and catastrophes in the first decade of this century as in the last decade of the 20th century. Europe is no exception, and the trend continues fuelled by climate change and social dynamics. Projections by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicate that the numbers of people living in cities that are particularly exposed to disasters will more than double, from 680 million to 1.5 billion, within the next forty years[1].

Figure 1 Tools supporting the guideline.

The need for increased European resilience is a topic of highest political concern in the EU, both man-made threats (accidents, terrorism) and natural hazards such as e.g. floods, storms, earthquake, volcanoes and tsunamis[2]. This H2020 project, Smart Mature Resilience (SMR) main objective is to develop, test and demonstrate a pilot of European Resilience Management Guideline based on a set of tools that significantly will increase the ability of European region to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions. The pilot will be implemented in three of the partner cities. The key to resilience is awareness, communication and interaction between all relevant stakeholders and the citizens.

SMR will develop, validate and demonstrate the Resilience Management Guideline, a guideline based on a set of five tools that will increase the cities resilience maturity level. This will later on constitute the backbone for the European Resilience Management Guideline. Figure 1 illustrates the guidelines five tools that will be developed, tested and demonstrated in the project pilot cities:

Resilience Maturity Model

Systemic risk assessment questionnaire

Resilience building policies

Systemic dynamic model

Engagement and communication tool

The seven partner cities have been engaged because of the location, exposed to hazards, critical infrastructure is situated, where human dynamics plays out, where rescuers and the media are found, and where a public-private cooperation has its strong playground.

As mentioned, the guideline will be demonstrated in the project three pilot cities. Of the seven partner cities, there are three pilot cities; City of Kristiansand Norway, City of Glasgow Scotland, and City of Donostia (San Sebastian) Spain.

The other four partner cities (Riga, Roma, Vejle and Bristol) will be crucial in peer reviewing activities during the implementation process. They will be responsible in reviewing the implementation process and give critical and constructive feedback to the pilot cities.

The goal is that after implementing the Resilience Management Guideline, each of the pilot cities will increase their resilience maturity level.

The project will be executed through eight work packages, and Kristiansand will be participating in most of them, both theoretical and practical. Another partner in the project, scientific partner, is the University of Agder and its research center CIEM (Centre for Integrated Emergency Management). They are scientific coordinator, and will have a significant role together with project coordinator TECNUN University.

The City of Kristiansand is one of the pilot cities for the early implementation of the Resilience Management Guideline. We will be monitored, assessed and given feedback from the other peer review cities. Necessary changes and adjustments will be undertaken during the implementation to make the process efficient and sustainable.

The City of Kristiansand is the capital of Agder with a population on 295.600. The city of Kristiansand as the driving force in the region, the vision is to be become a strong and resilient region, ready to meet the expected unexpected.

Agder is exposed to increased sea level, extreme weather and precipitation, land slide, flooding, social challenges like e.g. immigration, social dumping and aging population. Resilience is more the just the opposite of vulnerability – in our view it comprises the ability of the whole society to meet and adapt to the challenges, expected and unexpected, from first responders, to NGOs, public and private organizations and the citizens. The ability to work as an integrated unit will say something about the regions resilience. It is also a great opportunity to work closely with all relevant stakeholders, including the University of Agder.

The kick-off meeting was held in Donostia (the Basque name of San Sebastian) in the end of June. The days in Donostia laid a solid foundation for a great cooperation with the consortium. We discussed and decided the next steps, and we are very excited to continue the project.